Category: book reviews

Have you checked out my new website yet?

by Karen, posted in book reviews, Interviews, writing

There has been a lot of great things happening on my new website, KarenCreamer.com.

If you have already signed up to follow my new blog, then THANK YOU!

You know this already!

But since about 1500 followers never made it over to KarenCreamer.com, I am taking a wild guess that you haven’t found my new site yet. If you didn’t receive emails that the above articles posted, then you may not have subscribed to the blog. Just click here to go to the blog page, look for the box to SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG by EMAIL section to the right of the posts, and sign up! Or, if you are already on WordPress then you can just click the blue FOLLOW ME button (in the same location). E viola!

blog

Thank you for staying with me! 

P.S. Please read the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use when you arrive! You may even find a pop up banner tucked into the footer somewhere to accept when you get there!

BOOK REVIEW: The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

by Karen, posted in author, Being BRAVE, book reviews, books, family

I loved The Rules of Magic!

I was a little cautious to be reading Alice Hoffman, because I sort of remembered finding one of her prior books being, um, kind of dark. Something above about doves, I think. I’m not sure.

I must have blocked it out.

This book, however, is a jewel. It’s a tale of two sisters and a brother, Jet, Franny, and Vincent. As they grow up, they become aware that they have magic in their bloodline, in their blood, but they also have a curse. Light and dark. This is the story of how they grow up and live their lives in the spotlight of, and in the shadow of, both.

I won’t kid you–there are some heartbreaking events in this book, but don’t we all have those in our lives?

I very much felt like I was right there in the story with them, that they were my friends. Friends that I loved and laughed and cried with.

Ultimately, the author is showing us that every story has a beginning and an ending, and that some stories have to end so that others can begin. Indeed, that every ending sparks a new beginning.

Of course there is sadness in a death, especially if it’s in an accident, if it’s unexpected, but it can give rise to a new, beautiful story.

I recommend this book. Go get The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman.

BOOK REVIEW: A Beautiful, Terrible Thing by Jen Waite

by Karen, posted in author, book reviews, books

I liked this book because it’s raw and honest.

In A Beautiful, Terrible Thing, the author is telling a tale as old as time: she marries a man who betrays her. The story here, though, is the spectacular manner in which this is done. About 3/4 through it I considered stopping. It was a little annoying that she was so obsessed with this guy after what he did, but the way it unfolded to her–and therefore, to us, she really doesn’t know for sure that he was the dick-wad that we all suspect that he was. She was holding out for proof and hey, who am I to judge her for making unwise choices in her relationships? I have a long history of doing that myself.

My favorite part in the book:

The author’s therapist says: “Something inside of you was saying, ‘Whoa, hold on, this doesn’t add up,’ but you ignored that voice and plowed on. What we need to figure out is why and start to arm you with some concrete tools that you can draw on until you truly learn to listen to your intuition.”

I mean, Boom! Right?

You will probably enjoy this book.

Disclaimer: Bad wi-fi so video quality isn’t great. Proceed at your own risk.

BOOK REVIEW: ANGEL OF EVENTIDE by Elle Powers

by Karen, posted in Angels, author, book reviews, books, Brave books, family, relationships

I was pulled right in to the conversation between the angel and the woman at the outset of the book. But, is it an angel? Who is this woman?  I have many questions and so I press on, intensely interested in how the answers would they reveal themselves.

This is not only a story of compassion; it’s an epic love story.

It’s not a typical love story, however. I don’t want to give too much away, so I will tread carefully here.

It is the love story of Maren and Sea (pronounced “Shay” for Seamus). Maren is different from other girls. She doesn’t get sick. The ‘magic brownies’ her peers are eating don’t have any effect on her.

Maren is also a girl whose reckless behavior has placed her at the brink of death many times in her young life. At the age of ten, she is assigned an angel who literally rescues her from death and then proceeds to watch over her. What is unusual is this: Maren can see him. Maren has always been able to see the ‘folks’, as she refers to them. She has always has this special ability, to be able to see behind “The Mystic Curtain”, as her mother refers to it.

This book is so much more than a “romance between a fallen angel and a lost girl” (p 169). It is also the story of parents’ love for their child. Of God’s love for us. It’s a brilliant exploration of what it means to be mortal and immortal, angel and human, and how we all fit together into the larger story of life. When life feels like a punishment, perhaps it’s because we can’t see the whole story.

Near the end of the book is a reference to a song that only Maren was hearing (P 282-283) .

“Maren stirred to its dreamy rhythm, understanding that this was the song of the world–the composition of creation.”

This sentence immediately brought a song to mind. To me, it felt like a perfect description of this song sung by Andrea Bocelli, Canto Della Terra (Mighty Sun).

There are several quotes that I loved at the outset of each chapter, including one from The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer, one of my favorite books ever (p 225), so it was hard to  narrow it down to one favorite, but I managed.

My favorite quote from the book (P 214):

“The truth was that they were living out this story together; every heart in every age was essential and connected…and so their each and every choice mattered to the whole.”

Beautiful. Thank you, Elle Powers! Get this wonderful book, Angel of Eventide.

I leave you with this invitation: Treat yourself and listen to this song undistracted.

BOOK REVIEW: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

by Karen, posted in Being BRAVE, book reviews, books, Brave books, family, relationships

I got Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng on audio from the library. It was actually picked out by my daughter, because I ‘needed’ an audio book and I wasn’t seeing anything that grabbed me.I am mentioning it because, coincidentally, one of the main characters in the book is named Izzy, the same as my daughter. Also, another coincidence is that there is a character in the book named Bebe, which is the name of the main character in my fiction (thus far).  🙂

This book is about relationships between and among mothers and daughters. A privileged family of six meets, assimilates, and then clashes with a family of two that is decidedly not.  There are complicated pieces of the puzzle that mostly come together at the end, but there are a couple of loose ends, one of which I wanted answered.

Final verdict: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng is worth reading. Let me know what you think if you do.

BOOK REVIEW: The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty

by Karen, posted in author, book reviews, books, love and marriage

I loved this book The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty.
It’s about husbands and wives and mothers and daughters and sisters and any practically any other relationships you can think of, including one’s relationship with oneself. Boom.

Real, messy, honest relationships.

One note: Pay attention at the beginning of the book because you will be introduced to several characters and you don’t want to be distracted or multitasking and get confused.

Like I did. 

No problem, though. I just referred to the drawing at the beginning of the book and it straightened me right out.

The best quote from the book is on page 128, a wife thinking about her husband:

“She’d hated him for a while over that. Really hated him. But then she just got tired of hating him and started loving him again. It was easier.”

This book has a twist at the end that I never saw coming. Totally worth reading. I had a hard time putting it down once I started reading it. I had the characters dancing around in my head at the oddest moments.

And is one of the marks of a truly great book?

Get it here: The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty. I highly recommend this book and any of her other books (I wrote about one of them  in the past, What Alice Forgot.

BOOK REVIEW: Unipreneur by Laura Stewart Shortridge

by Karen, posted in author, book reviews, books, Brave books, family

This is my friend Laura’s new book:

Unipreneur: How to Live Your Passion in a House Full of Dream-Killers

I loved reading this book!

There were so many concepts that were introduced that resonated with me that I felt like I was having coffee and discussing my own life with my BFF.

I loved also all the quotes she chose to begin the chapters.

Like Laura, I struggle with my “monkey mind”. Here’s my trick for dealing with it: I have learned to feed it a banana to get it to settle down so that I can think. You’re welcome.

I had a similar experience to the author’s with regard to biking with her husband. My husband was an athlete all his life and I was, well, I was not. Biking was something that he thought we could maybe do together and I manned up to be his partner. He got the short end of the deal though, when we were biking miles from home and I lost my balance and steered my front tire through—yes, through—his. I think we walked back to the cars with him carrying both bikes, and probably me, too, on his shoulders. Not pretty.

One of my hero is quoted in the book, Eleanor Roosevelet. “All the water in the world can’t drown you unless it gets inside of you.” BOOM.

Buy this great book!

Unipreneur: How to Live Your Passion in a House Full of Dream-Killers by Laura S. Shortridge

You’ll love it!

Want to watch and listen to me talk about Laura’s book? See below!

BOOK REVIEW: A MIND OF YOUR OWN by Kelly Brogan MD

by Karen, posted in book reviews, books, Brave books, health, Meditation

A Mind of Your Own by Kelly Brogan MD is an important book. There is no other way to say it. If you are taking medication for depression/anxiety

this book could quite possibly change your life!

Even if you decide not to follow the protocol she outlines. How? Because after you read this book, you will know.

And once you know, you can’t NOT know.

This book is very readable. Even though it’s written by a doctor, most of it feels more like you having coffee (whoops–I mean roasted dandelion root. Or, you know, water) with a friend. A very caring friend who believes in you and your ability to support your wondrous body in healing itself. And who, with any luck at all, will convince you of this.

Full disclosure: the protocol itself recommended by the author kind of terrifies me.

I’m wondering if I treat it like menu suggestions rather than maxims, if I can get the same benefit. (Probably not).  There are recipes included in the book, some of which sound good to me.  The author is Italian, after all, so there’s a good sporting chance that they’ll be good. Finally, I am a big fan of coffee, but am not excited about the idea of inserting a tube into my rectum to introduce it to my system. I love me some spicy eggnog coffee o.ral.ly. ‘Nuf said.

 

You need to read A Mind of Your Own by Kelly Brogan MD

 

BOOK REVIEW: Informed Consent: Critical Truths Essential to Your Health and to the Health of Future Generations by Michele Stanford, M.Ed., CHC

by Karen, posted in author, Being BRAVE, book reviews, books, Brave books, Catching women being brave, Clarity, health, no fear, writing

I began to read Michele’s story and as a woman, my heart was filled with compassion and empathy for her and the situation she was in. As an RN, my heart was filled with rage for how this patient was treated by her physician! Michele was not defined by her circumstances, however. Rather, she decided to educate herself and therein lay her power, and now she is offering to share her results with all of us.

One quote resonated with me very early in the book, as the author described her experience with “continual roller coaster ride courtesy of allopathic medicine,” perfectly capturing what can happen if you are not empowered with the information you need to evaluate medical information and make good, informed health care choices for yourself and your loved ones.

Many other sentences speak to my own beliefs. On page 92: “The pharmaceutical industry is not interested in your health.”  Truer words have never been spoken. Also, on page 108: “The corruption at the CDC runs deep and wide and the health of the American public is not the sole priority, or even a priority at all.”

The chapters dealing with the pharmaceutical industry and vaccines will provide you with especially valuable information.

I highly recommend this book. Buy it here: Informed Consent

Spoiler alert: Cheez-its lovers, you are about to have your heart broken. J

 

Michele Stanford, M.Ed., CHC#InformedConsentTheBook

BOOK REVIEW: YOUR NEXT SHIFT by ELIZABETH SCALA

by Karen, posted in author, book reviews, books, Life's too short to read bad books

I first heard of Elizabeth Scala when she joined RN FM Radio. I didn’t know how much I was missing a female voice on the show until she arrived (yay!). I didn’t know she was an author right away. I started following her on social media and that’s when I became aware of the breadth of her nursing activities.

I knew from watching her on Instagram that Elizabeth made fun a priority in her life (I do, too!). I started reading her book yesterday afternoon, and if I hadn’t had an evening commitment, I would have finished it last night. Anyway, it was less than twenty-four hours later that I turned the last page. This book resonated with me on so many levels. The ‘Just for today’ philosophy that I first learned to practice after my Reiki attunements was one of the first moments that I knew I was in the right place reading this book. I love that Elizabeth is so honest in her description of her experience travelling the path of refining and expanding her own nursing practice to help the rest of us know that hey, we aren’t alone! Other nurses feel under-confident and under-brave and under-decisive, too! And this: “Maybe you’re just not that happy being a nurse anymore because you actually feel like your job doesn’t let you be one!” Hello? That was one of my first “Aha!” moments after transitioning from nursing practice in school and nursing practice in real life.

For years, I have been working on integrating my spiritual practices into my nursing practice and in this book, I feel like I have found a kindred spirit, another nurse who really gets it. Another nurse who is doing this, too.

I also love the quotes that were scattered throughout the book, including Susan Jeffers’ “Feel the fear and do it anyway,” a phrase that I find myself saying over and over these days, mostly to myself.

While I was reading Your Next Shift, I felt like I was having coffee with my nurse-BFF.

One note to the author: as a former waitress, I found a LOT of similarities between waitressing and nursing! Just sayin’.

After I finished reading it, I decided to draw an oracle card for the book, and I drew the 3 of Earth from Colette Baron-Reid’s new card deck, The Good Tarot.  Here is a quick line about this card from the guidebook that accompanies the deck: “Teachers and students, we are all learning, growing, and building collaboratively.”

I know, right?! 🙂

I highly recommend Your Next Shift for anyone. Read it.